The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has disclosed that his wife felt pressured by hospital staff to abort their disabled child.

Ellie, now 32 years old, suffers from dyspraxia, a condition that affects movement and coordination. Welby revealed this during an address to the General Synod in York, stating it was "expected" that his wife Caroline would choose an abortion if a disability test during her pregnancy returned positive results.

Welby shared how hospital staff discussed the high costs associated with raising a child with disabilities, according to a report by The Telegraph. He said: "Before Ellie was born, during the pregnancy, there was some concern, and a test was ordered. It was made very, very clear to my wife that if the test was taken and proved positive, it would be expected that we ask for a termination. It was not a neutral process because they said it's expensive."

Welby described Ellie as "precious because she's wonderful, she's kind, she is someone who gets cross and gets happy and gets sad. She's not that severely disabled." He has previously stated that he does not pray for Ellie in relation to her disability because it is part of her.

In a statement posted to X on Monday 8th July, Welby said: People with disabilities are a gift from God who must be cherished and allowed to thrive. I am pleased that (Synod) members voted to strengthen the church’s witness to the human dignity of all God’s children, reaffirming every person's uniqueness and calling for better support for families of disabled children."

The Archbishop's remarks followed a motion by Ven Pete Spiers, an archdeacon from Liverpool, challenging the notion that raising children with disabilities is a tragedy. Spiers called for better support for parents of disabled children from healthcare providers and urged the government to ensure parents receive unbiased information about the condition their unborn child has been diagnosed with.

The motion passed unanimously at the Synod with 312 votes in favour and none against.

The Church of England opposes abortions being carried out due to the unborn child being disabled. In a 2013 parliamentary debate, the Church described the law as "discriminatory". The Abortion Act of 1967 allows terminations up until 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances permitting an abortion after 24 weeks, such as if the mother's life is at risk or if the child would be born with a severe disability.